We have a ‘Way of Life’ to guide our group
Traditionally, monastic communities commit to a shared ‘rule of life’. This ‘rule’ is a framework of values and practices which unite, focus and shape the people within the order. Similarly, members of the Order of Grace commit to a shared ‘Way of Life’.
This Way is rooted in The Grace Network. It draws on the common values we hold, the aims we share, and our hopes and dreams for the future. It recognises our desire for deep personal and societal change, and it sets out a framework of shared regular practices that we believe will help bring about that transformation.
We sense there are four key practices at the heart of the spiritual life of The Grace Network: Justice, Hospitality, Prayer and Presence. Each is vital in its own way. Together they make us more loving, more human; together they change us, and the world around us.
Please read on below to find out more.
Our four practices
JUSTICE
JUSTICE AS A WAY OF LIFE
Justice is not just a concept, or a distant ideal. It is something we can do, and something that we are all invited to join in with. The Grace Network’s Luke 4 mission statement calls us to help free and heal the people in our world who are oppressed and trapped. The work is as grand as reimagining a whole new economy and society, and as humble and intimate as the smallest act of kindness.
HOSPITALITY
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US AND OTHERS IS BRIDGED BY RADICAL HOSPITALITY
It is not always easy to connect with people who are unfamiliar or different to us. When we commit to welcoming every person with an open heart and a spirit of curiosity, that is radical hospitality. We believe in the power of welcome and the vitalness of human connection, and we see how radical hospitality within our hubs and within the Network as a whole has created a beautiful, strong mix of people who all feel they belong.
PRAYER
THE PURSUIT OF A DEEPER LIFE OF UNION WITH GOD
Prayer is an extraordinary connection with God and with one another. When we still our minds, open our hearts and connect with a deeper reality, we find guidance, strength, peace and joy. A regular rhythm of prayer grounds us, recentres us, and – when needed – disrupts us. This inward journey of contemplation and transformation powers and directs our pursuit of transformation in the wider world.
There are many ways to pray, from silent thought and meditation, through song, mantra, liturgy, and speaking out loud to God. We welcome all expressions of prayer, and our members pray in whatever way feels comfortable for them.
PRESENCE
DEEPLY ROOTED TO A PLACE AND PEOPLE
Each Grace Network hub has a strong local identity, and is firmly rooted in its place and community. Each hub is designed to be a place of growth and transformation for that community, and contains seven sacred spaces (the cloisters, the refectory, the library, the gardens, the chapel, the chapter house and the retreat) which structure and facilitate that transformation.
Being physically present on a Grace Network site is a prerequisite for Order of Grace membership because the work of the Order is unique to each community. We believe true connection is built through people talking and working alongside one another. Like yeast mixed in the dough, members of the Order may seem hidden and out of sight, scattered across the enterprises in which we serve. Yet just as yeast enables a loaf to rise, we believe our loving presence has the capacity to help each hub flourish and be transformative.